Apr 10
29
Protect Yourself From SPAM
Everyone wants to be social using Facebook, Youtube, My Space, Twitter and other social media. This is great technology to keep us connected with the world. It is bad when the information in user profiles are being used by companies to “weed people out” of jobs or when criminal minded people use it to get personal information from people to send SPAM. You can enjoy the benefits of social media if you will practice a few simple rules. Whatever you say on a social media site can and will be used against you if the opportunity presents itself. Corporations use social media sites now as part of their background check process. People place party photos of themselves, other people have the ability to post photos of you, your conversations are posted . . . the list goes on. All of this information is open and available to the public. Once it is there, it’s there. What you think is just between you and your friends or you and your group has just been shared with the world.
Rule #1: Don’t say anything you wouldn’t mind everyone knowing on social media. That include pictures.
HOW SOCIAL MEDIA WORKS
Social media is a huge web, you connect to me and I am connected with 200 people. You are connected with 75 people. So now I am connected with your 75 people plus my 200 and you are connected with my 200 people. To top it off, all of our people are connected to countless others and it never end. I now have access to your people, people they are connected to, and any information they shared on their “social” page. Get the picture? This is why you need to be selective about the information shared.
Rule #2: Don’t use your main email address. Get another email address that you use for all of your social media. Email addresses are often sold as lists to other companies for marketing purposes.
Rule #3: Don’t share personal information like location, address, phone numbers, etc. All of this can be tied to other information that can link people to you.
PERSONAL INFORMATION
Information such as birthday, marital status, kids, home town, high school, etc. are valuable pieces of information for SPAMMERS or people seeking to steal identity. Social Media sites are bound by privacy laws, however this does not stop those who want to get information about you from getting it. Limit the information you provide. Always use a screen name and not your real name. Don’t allow your teens and children to use social media. If you do, educate them and make sure they know not to divulge personal information.
For organizations, it is great if they have their own private network for social purposes. This way they can control membership and access. They have the ability to moderate and remove people.
SOCIAL MEDIA AND BUSINESS
The best use for social media I have seen are businesses and Hollywood. Business can often afford to put security measures in place when using social media. However they also need to be careful that no one in the organization gives out sensitive information. You will never see the military using social media. It is too much of a risk.
Always have a business email address and a personal email address. If you see something that you want to sign up for but are not sure, then it is good to have a generic email address that you don’t care if SPAM goes to. Use this email address to sign up for stuff or to give to people you are not sure about. You can go in and check this email whenever you expect something from it knowing there is the possibility of you having to clean it out regularly or trash it at some point.
HOW SPAM WORKS
Spammers search for random email addresses that they could use to send out junk email to and not have the email traced back to themselves. Someone sends you an email that is strange, and you are curious and respond. This is when they know the email address is valid. They then use your email address to send emails about everything.
Another way SPAM works is that you sign up for a survey or to win a prize and there is a box that you “inadvertently” leave checked. This checked box says in small print “by checking this box you agree to receive notices from all of our partners and affiliates.” You have then just opened yourself up to be the recipient of all kinds of junk mail.
One other way is when you upgrade your software or download software and have to enter your email address. So long story short, make sure you are only giving your email address to reputable companies that won’t sell your email address or be sure to create yourself a “junk” email address to give out to people you are uncertain about.
For organizations, if you want to be social, look into creating your own private social network that you control. Feel free to post questions you have on the subject and I’ll do my best to answer them or point you to the answer.
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